It consists of Greek yoghurt sweetened with agave and stevia, fruit compote, fresh fruit, cocoa nibs, and ground flax seed. Since this picture was taken in the spring, my seasonal fruits were strawberries and blueberries, and the compote is rhubarb and banana, with a few dates as extra sweetener. When I’m lazy I get sweetened yoghurt with a fruit layer and just add the flax and cocoa nibs.

I adapted the fruit-syrup vegan carrot cake by Mäni Niall for someone who also avoids wheat. It can be made gluten-free by using buckwheat and brown rice flour, or simply wheat-free with rye and brown rice or spelt flour. All three variations have a similar taste but the buckwheat cupcakes have a much darker colour.

Ingredients

Cupcakes

1 1/2 cups buckwheat or rye flour

1 cup gluten-free brown rice flour or spelt flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum (optional, not needed if using gluten)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 cup fruit juice concentrate or agave syrup

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

2 cups shredded carrots

1/2 cup raisins

liquid from 400 gram tin of butter beans or chickpeas

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar (optional)

Frosting

1 cup cashew nuts

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch of salt

4 tablespoons maple sugar or maple syrup

liquid stevia to taste

Put the cashews in a bowl and cover them with boiling water, then set them aside.

Grate the carrots and set them aside, together with the raisins.

Preheat the oven to 180° Celsius/350° Fahrenheit. Line muffin tins with papers.

In a bowl, combine the flours, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, baking powder, and salt for the cupcakes.

In another bowl, beat the butter bean liquid with an electric mixer until it starts to foam. Sprinkle the cream of tartar over it and continue to beat the mixture at medium/high speed, scraping the sides regularly, until the beaters leave trails and the mixture forms soft peaks when you lift the beaters up.

Add the oil, lemon juice, and fruit syrup to the dry mixture and stir just to combine. Scoop the dry mixture in to the beaten bean liquid and blend with the electric mixer just until combined. Add the carrots and raisins and stir with a spoon just until they are combined.

Scoop large spoonfuls of the batter into the prepared muffin papers. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in a cupcake comes out clean. Set the cupcakes on a wire rack to cool.

While the cupcakes are cooling, remove the cashews from the liquid (reserving the liquid) and put them in a grinder. Add the salt for the frosting, the vanilla extract, and the maple syrup or sugar. Blend until the mixture forms a soft paste. Add some of the reserved liquid as needed. Add liquid stevia as desired to increase the sweetness.

Frost the cupcakes with a dollop of frosting before serving.

Note: As it is written, the recipe is not very sweet. I have also made it with an extra 1/3 cup of grated carrots, double the raisins, and a little bit of stevia for a sweeter, more traditional flavour.

The base of this galette was made with chickpea and rye flour, with a bit of olive oil, salt and baking powder. It was then covered with diced and salted wilted spinach. I pan-fried half a red onion and a small courgette/zucchini in olive oil with rosemary before adding a diced tomato. This mix covered the spinach. I topped it with crumbled honey chèvre and baked it for about 20 minutes.

Wash and chop the spinach, then wilt it in a hot frying pan. Set it aside.

Make the dough by combining the ingredients and kneading until the dough is not sticky but also not dry. The amount of flour required will depend on the size of the egg. Set the dough aside.

Put a pot of water on the heat so that it will come to a boil.

Next prepare the pinenuts. Melt the butter in a small saucepan and add the pinenuts. Cook over low heat until the nuts are just beginning to turn brown. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and set them aside.

Resume preparing the filling. Drain the spinach if necessary. Chop the sage leaves and add them to the spinach, along with the butternut squash purée. Season to taste with salt. Mix in the corn starch.

To prepare the ravioli, take marble-sized pieces of the dough and roll them out with as much flour as needed. You should get 18-20 pieces. Fill each round with a generous 1/2 teaspoon of filling and pinch closed.

When the water is boiling, add a little salt. Put the ravioli in the water one at a time, to prevent sticking. They are done when they float, after about 3-5 minutes. Drain the ravioli and return them to the hot pan, and return the pan to the heat at medium. Pour in the milk and add 2/3 of the Parmesan. Stir constantly, but gently, until the milk has reduced into a thick, creamy sauce.

Serve the ravioli sprinkled with the pinenuts and any butter left in the pan, and with the remaining Parmesan.